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Showing results for tags 'Climate change'.
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Content ArticleThirty seven health leaders from organisations across the UK have called on COP26 President Alok Sharma to use his leadership at COP27 to put health at the forefront of discussions. Read the letter from the link below.
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Content ArticleIs it possible to tackle climate change without further widening health inequalities? Jo Vigor speaks to Dr Dominique Allwood, Chief Medical Officer at UCL Partners and Director of Population Health at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, about her leadership journey, why clarity of mission is so important and the challenge of creating a sustainable and equitable health and care system.
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Content ArticleOperating theatres are an important focus in carbon reduction: they account for as much as 25% of hospitals’ carbon emissions, despite fewer than 5% of hospital inpatients undergoing surgery. Patient Advocate and Research Involvement Lead at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust Dr Lesley Booth CBE said: “Reducing the environmental impact of surgery is hugely important to improving health more broadly. We know that climate change and air pollution have wide impacts on health, many of which aren’t measurable for years to come. “I would want my operation in a hospital that cares about the environment, showing its commitment to patients and public health.” Find out what Solihul Hospital did.
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Content ArticleIn this episode of the NICE talks podcast, Consultant Respiratory Physician Dr Hitasha Rupani, Medicines Consultant Clinical Adviser at the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Jonathan Underhill and asthma patient Sheba Joseph discuss NICE’s recently published patient decision aid on asthma inhalers and climate change. The tool supports people with asthma to consider whether they might be able to use inhalers which have a smaller carbon footprint as part of their treatment plan. View the NICE patient decision aid on asthma inhalers and climate change
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Published annually, the 'Lancet Countdown on health and climate change' is an international, multidisciplinary collaboration, dedicated to monitoring the evolving health profile of climate change, and providing an independent assessment of the delivery of commitments made by governments worldwide under the Paris Agreement. -
Content ArticleInhalers are a key treatment for respiratory conditions, with approximately 60 million dispensed in England every year. However, inhalers are not always used in an optimal way, which can lead to poor disease control and avoidable deaths. Inhaler emissions account for approximately 3% of the NHS carbon footprint. The propellant used in metered dose inhalers is responsible for most of these emissions. Alternative options with a significantly lower carbon footprint exist, such as dry powder inhalers. The UK has a higher metered dose inhalers prescribing rate compared with other European countries. These countries have demonstrated that safe and effective care can still be delivered using other inhaler devices. Wyre Forest Health Partnership (WFHP) was formed from a merger of five GP practices and now comprises of six sites across Worcestershire with over 50 doctors, 200+ staff, and more than 73,000 patients. WFHP identified that, in line with the UK, they too had high prescribing rates for metered dose inhalers, and decided to act – to improve the health of their respiratory patients, while reducing their environmental impact. This case study shows what they did.
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We should be! The NHS has declared climate change a health emergency, but are trust leaders and healthcare staff talking and acting on this? In her second blog for the hub, Angela Hayes, Clinical Lead Sustainability at the Christie Foundation Trust, discusses why as healthcare professionals we have a duty to care, to protect and promote public health, and why nurses are ideally placed to deliver this vital climate emergency health message. -
Content ArticleIdentifying a route to net zero emissions for a complex system as large as the NHS is particularly challenging. To understand how and when the NHS can reach net zero we established an NHS Net Zero Expert Panel, reviewed nearly 600 pieces of evidence submitted to us and conducted extensive analysis and modelling. The targets set are as ambitious as possible, while remaining realistic; and are supported by immediate action and a commitment to continuous monitoring, evaluation and innovation. The aim is to be the world’s first net zero national health service.
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Content ArticleA new AHRQ resource, “Reducing Healthcare Carbon Emissions: A Primer on Measures and Actions for Healthcare Organizations to Mitigate Climate Change,” is now available to help healthcare organisations reduce their carbon footprint and protect communities from climate threats. AHRQ contracted with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement to develop the primer. It describes six domains contributing to greenhouse gas emissions in healthcare: building energy; transportation; anaesthetic gas; pharmaceuticals and chemicals; medical devices and supplies; and food. The primer identifies measures to track progress toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions in each domain. It also features vignettes of what health systems have done to reduce emissions and includes resources and tools to support implementation.
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In this blog, Soojin Jun, Cofounder of Patients for Patient Safety US, argues that it makes sense for healthcare organisations to be at the forefront of conservation efforts, as they exist to promote people's wellbeing. She points to a 2020 study that demonstrated how the global healthcare supply chain contributes to environmental damage, counteracting what healthcare exists to promote. Going forward, people will want to know how much waste healthcare systems generate, and how efficiently they use resources, and the article looks at how organisations and patients can be proactive in promoting sustainability. -
News Article
Health groups call for global fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
The World Health Organization (WHO) and almost 200 other health associations have made an unprecedented call for a global fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty. A call to action published on Wednesday, urges governments to agree a legally binding plan to phase out fossil fuel exploration and production, similar to the framework convention on tobacco, which was negotiated under the WHO’s auspices in 2003. “The modern addiction to fossil fuels is not just an act of environmental vandalism. From the health perspective, it is an act of self-sabotage,” said the WHO president, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Diarmid Campbell-Lendrum, the head of the WHO’s climate change department, said the letter was a watershed moment. “This is the first time the health sector has come together to issue such a statement explicitly about fossil fuels,” he told the Guardian. “The current burden of death and disease from air pollution is comparable to that of tobacco use, while the long-term effects of fossil fuels on the Earth’s climate present an existential threat to humanity – as do nuclear weapons.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 14 September 2022 Further reading Climate change: why it needs to be on every Trust's agenda -
News Article
NHS electric vehicles to help patients and the planet
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
The NHS is trialling a fleet of electric vehicles to help relieve pressure on ambulance services while also helping the NHS cut its carbon footprint. The vehicles are part of a £2.1m investment as the NHS becomes the first health service in the world to commit to reaching net zero by 2040, said NHS England, with eight ambulance trusts trialling 21 zero-emission vehicles of various types. Six of these new green vehicles are "dedicated to mental health response in the community", NHS England said. It emphasised that it hoped this development will "cut emergency response times for people with mental health needs and help reduce demand on traditional double-crewed ambulances". The new dedicated mental health response vehicles differ in design from traditional ambulances by having fewer fluorescent markings and a much less clinical interior, to help put patients at ease. However, they still carry the equipment needed to respond to the most serious life-threatening emergencies. NHS England highlighted that the all-electric vehicles can be deployed as a rapid response vehicle when someone is experiencing a mental health crisis, "providing a safe space for healthcare workers to support patients with mental health needs". Claire Murdoch, national director for mental health, NHS England explained that the mental health response vehicles are an important addition to mental health care, and added: "we have a double win of being able to improve the experience of patients in crisis whilst also caring for the planet". Read full story Source: Medscape, 6 September 2022 -
Content ArticleThis article in the Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation newsletter looks at the issues surrounding the contribution of anaesthetic gasses to healthcare pollution and emissions. The authors argue that the next patient safety movement should be sustainable healthcare. They highlight that anaesthetists have the opportunity to lead in the effort to reduce healthcare’s impact on population health, and demonstrate to the wider sector that sustainable healthcare is possible and important to the wellbeing of patients.
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News ArticleEvery year, air pollution causes up to 36,000 deaths in the UK. The World Health Organization and the UK Government recognise that air pollution is the largest environmental health risk we face today. Millions of people around the world breathe polluted air that puts their respiratory and cardiovascular health, and in some cases even their lives, at risk. Phasing out fossil fuels would be a major step in protecting health for current and future generations. More than a thousand health professionals have already endorsed the call for a treaty. Add your name to endorse the call for a treaty. Next week, the Global Climate and Health Alliance are planning a major press launch of the health community's letter calling for a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty and want to secure as many signatures as possible. They are encouraging healthcare professionals to help to build momentum by inviting two—or more—of your health colleagues to sign the health letter before the launch on 14 September. Invite your colleagues to sign the health letter By clicking the link above, you'll be taken to a form where you can send a short note of invitation to a colleague to sign the letter. They will be sent your note, as well as a link to some additional information about the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty. The form can only send one email at a time, but you use the form as many times as you wish.
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EventuntilHuman activity is driving global warming at an alarming rate. Extreme temperatures, air pollution, drought and floods affect all nations – including the UK and Republic of Ireland. This climate emergency is also a health emergency. As nurses and midwives, we must act now as a profession to safeguard our patients and services from the effects of a warming world. This joint Royal College of Nursing and NHS England conference builds on the aspirations of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Join to raise awareness of the impact of care provision on greenhouse gas emissions, and explore the opportunities this challenge presents to improve health and care services. Register
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Content ArticleNHS England has committed to reducing its direct emissions to ‘net zero’ carbon emissions by 2040, with most of the reduction by 2030. There are similar initiatives underway in Wales and Scotland. The Environmentally Sustainable Healthcare (ESH) programme was developed with the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare and the HEE Northeast Faculty of Sustainable Healthcare to provide the healthcare workforce with the knowledge and skills to deliver healthcare for financial, social and environmental sustainability.
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Content ArticleThe Centre for Sustainable Healthcare hosts and supports a number of networks to enable communities of like-minded people to collaborate internationally on sustainability in their clinical specialty or area of interest. Whether you are a patient, health professional, commissioner, educator or other, you can sign up or log in to join in discussion, find out about events and resources, ask questions and share ideas for sustainable healthcare in your field.
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Content ArticleClimate change poses a major threat to our health. Tackling climate change through reducing harmful carbon emissions will improve health and save lives. Here in the UK, air pollution is the single greatest environmental threat to human health, accounting for 1 in 20 deaths. Reducing emissions will mean fewer cases of asthma, cancer and heart disease. In response to the health threat posed by climate change, the NHS became the world’s first health service to commit to a target of reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2040.
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The NHS has declared climate change a health emergency, but are trust leaders and healthcare staff talking and acting on this? Angela Hayes, Clinical Lead Sustainability at the Christie Foundation Trust, discusses climate change and the impact it has on all of our lives and health. She believes healthcare professionals have a moral duty to act, to protect and improve public health, and should demand stronger action in tackling climate change.- Posted
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Content ArticleAngela Hayes discusses the global impact healthcare has on climate change and the effect it has on our health.
